


The Great Fork

by bgn846



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cor is eighteen, Don't underestimate the immortal, Etiquette lessons, Gen, Humor, Regis thinks hes being funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/pseuds/bgn846
Summary: Cor has to take etiquette lessons in order to polish his appearance for an upcoming gala.  Will he survive the training and the gala?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	The Great Fork

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ragewerthers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragewerthers/gifts).



> I had a lovely prompt from my friend for some fun Cor content. :) 
> 
> Cor has been relegated to attend a banquet with Clarus and Regis, but this time he's not just there as protection. He'll have to act just as civilized as the Crown Prince and Shield have to which means.... Cor has to have etiquette lessons. How does this go? Is he good? Is he terrible? "Why are there so many forks?!?!" 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! :)

The first time she hit him, Cor thought it was an accident. Perhaps the tabletop had been the intended target, not his hand. However, by the third time he was convinced she was a sadist. Did she not realize who he was? Granted he was still young, but he’d already been to war and fought the blademaster. This lady needed to check her history books. Sure, it was a little weird that at the tender age of eighteen, Cor had made it into print. Being featured on page one hundred and eight of the Lucian history annuals wasn’t normal. Though, nothing about his life was normal so he guessed it made sense. 

The crack of her reed cane against the back of his knuckles brought him back to reality. Biting back a hiss at the sting he glanced down again. Why in the name of the six was this important? Who gave a courels ass what size fork you ate with? Taking a deep breath through this nose, he attempted to select the proper one for the first course. 

Sensing movement Cor quickly retracted his hand and held it up to defend his face, should this terrible woman decide to strike there next. 

“Mr. Leonis that is not the proper way to sit during dinner.” 

“You were gonna hit me again lady,” Cor accused. 

“I have a name young man, use it,” she huffed. 

“Knuckle smasher?” Cor ventured with a raised eyebrow. 

“You insufferable person, you. I knew you were going to be trouble from the moment the king asked me to give you lessons. I cannot help that you must attend the upcoming gala. Please do not take out your frustrations on me.” 

“Does that mean I can go?”

“Mr. Leonis, I will not be made a fool of by the likes of you. We have only just begun.” 

“You should at least switch sides so both hands hurt equally,” he quipped. That comment earned him a sharp rap on the head. 

“Are you done acting like a child?” she chided.

Glaring up at his etiquette teacher Cor debated about making a run for it. There was no way this kooky lady would be able to catch him. She was all leg, and her skirt was far too tight to allow for decent movement. The king would be upset with him, and Cor didn’t want to burden the man further. Of all the things he endured in his short life, he could survive this. Maybe.

Sighing heavily he turned back to the place setting in front of him. “Mrs. Baberum, would you please review the order with me again, so that I may try once more.” 

The woman hummed approvingly and began explaining the fifty thousand little pieces of cutlery on the table. Six, this was going to be a long day. 

Two and a half hours later Cor was finally starting to make progress. His saving grace had been reimagining all the little items on the table as little weapons. Which long fork do you slay a dinner course with? What broadsided spoon do you pick for soup? Thinking his misery was nearly over Cor almost yelled when Mrs. Baberum announced that dance lessons were next. 

This gangly, irritating woman took him to an empty room nearby and tried to kill him with her pointy shoes for an hour. It was impossible to watch your feet and look up at the same time. Mrs. Baberum needed to get that through her narrow little head. Again, his fight training came into play. Envisioning his teacher as a scrawny daemon to evade, worked like a charm. Who needs fancy dance moves when you knew how to fight!

The clock on the wall read nine when his torturer let him go.

With what looked like a forced a smile she put a hand on his shoulder and attempted to make light of the situation. “You’ve done better than I hoped,” she offered with a pinched look. 

Cor was thinking of what to say in response when the woman moved her hand and squeezed his cheek like he was a kid. Stunned by the action he simply stood there and stared back at her with wide eyes. 

“Good luck at the gala this weekend. I’ll be in attendance so I can check in on you.” 

Barely managing to stifle a scream Cor nodded and twisted his mouth up into some form of a smile. “Great, I’ll see you there.”

“Excellent!” Mrs. Baberum trilled. “Until then Mr. Leonis.” 

Cor had nightmares that night, they all featured a tall intense-looking woman holding a stick. Dammit, he was scarred for life because of etiquette lessons. 

* * *

“I heard Cor had Baberum as a teacher,” Regis snorted as he straightened his shirt. 

“Astrals, poor kid, what do you think happened?” Clarus asked as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his formal robes. 

“This is Cor we are talking about; he probably tried to stab her with a salad fork.” 

“Well I saw Baberum earlier today, and she appeared uninjured so _she_ at least survived the training lesson.”

“Dad wanted him to blend in with everybody tonight. Not sure why he thought learning how to hold a fork would make a difference. People call him the immortal for six sake. Nobody cares if you have manners at that point. He’s a walking war machine.” 

Clarus chuckled, “yeah, one that’s going to be stuffed into a tux, and forced to dance with giggly girls the whole night. He’ll probably jump off the balcony to escape before we get to the dessert course.” 

“That sounds like a bet my friend,” Regis hummed with a smirk. 

* * *

Having to dress up for the gala was a mixed blessing. No one had seen him in anything but crownsguard fatigues so he was able to hide in plain sight. The number of people doing double-takes as he passed them by was growing. Even Regis had blinked in surprise when he’d arrived at the princes’ suite earlier. Clarus was nicer about it and complimented him on the look. Clapping a hand on his back and commenting that he’d cleaned up well. 

Cor knew something was up though when he’d arrived at the gala. Regis and Clarus were both being extra attentive. It wasn’t until the middle of the dinner course that Cor figured it out. Regis kept asking him if he was alright, and if he needed air or a break. Catching Clarus smirking at the exchange Cor soon realized they probably had a bet on how long he would last. 

Obviously Regis thought he was going to bail. Proving his prince wrong was an enjoyable past time so Cor decided he’d stay the whole night. Having a mission, so to speak, made things go a lot smoother. Anything that tried to trip him up was viewed as something to overcome and win. Remembering the role each of his tiny weapons set out on the table did was the first challenge. Mrs. Baberum was sat close enough to catch his eye during dinner. According to the bright look in her eyes, he was selecting the correct items. 

Regis even attempted to lead him astray but Cor didn’t fall for it. The phantom sting of Mrs. Baberum’s cane stick on his hand made him think otherwise. Once dinner was over, all the guests retired to the ballroom, dancing was up next. 

He’d barely taken two steps out of the dining room when Regis came over. He had a woman on each arm and a shit-eating grin on his face. “Cor, my good man. I need your assistance. These two lovely ladies wish to dance with me, but alas I’m only one man.” 

Cor had to stop himself from replying ‘no, you’re just a stupid man’. He didn’t have time to pick on his friend, he was about to see what one hour of dance lessons had taught him. The first go-round on the dance floor was rough. The girl he’d been partnered with was terrible at dancing. Regis was trying to sabotage him. 

When the dance had ended the girl thanked him for playing along with her terrible footwork. Six, she thought he’d been doing it on purpose. Oddly enough the woman who caused him such grief earlier appeared to save him. Mrs. Baberum glided over on her freakishly long legs and requested a dance. 

Cor was certain he heard Regis snort at the sight. Undeterred he accepted and led the way out onto the floor. Expecting a reprimand for his poor dancing earlier Mrs. Baberum gave him tips as they danced. Feeling more confident once the dance had finished, Cor went on the hunt for more dance partners. He’d show Regis! 

After the sixth girl Regis pawned off on him, Cor could tell the prince was growing tired of his game. The gleeful smirk he’d worn all night was now gone. Struck with an idea of how to get his friend back Cor started hunting for one person in particular. 

The surprised and slightly alarmed look Regis flashed him as he approached, made suffering through the whole night worth it. Serves the prince right for trying to mess with him, he was the immortal. “Mrs. Baberum, Regis has been asking about you all evening. He’s saved his last dance for you.” Cor offered with a charming smile. 

The woman currently clinging to his arm gasped with anticipation. “I would love to take a spin with the crown prince.” She curtseyed carefully and smiled waiting for Regis to take her extended hand. 

Regis managed to put on a good face as he took Mrs. Baberum out to dance. Cor knew she’d step on his feet once or twice. Regis wasn’t perfect either. Her shoes looked like they’d leave a mark. 

Clarus ambled up next to him a moment later. “Rotten little scoundrel, you.”

“How much was the bet for?” Cor guessed.

“Five hundred gil.” The shield offered easily. “If you leave just before midnight I’ll split the earnings with you.” 

Cor offered his hand for a quick shake to seal the deal. Peering back out into the sea of people Cor spotted Regis with a pained expression on his face. Yep, he’d been stepped on. He’d have to improve his footwork before the next gala. Perhaps Cor could suggest to the king, that he sign his son up for more etiquette lessons. 

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr if you want. Just mostly FFXV stuff with some random dribbles. [BGN846 Blog](https://bgn846.tumblr.com/)
> 
> or Twitter [ BGN846 Twitter](https://twitter.com/BGN846?lang=en)
> 
> Please don't copy or plagiarize my work. Thanks! Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy XV or any of its contents.


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